Open Window 2 : Two As One
by Aussie73
Summary: Sequel to Open Window 1 : Consequences. Takes place several months after the last events of Book 1. Jack and Other. Need to read Book 1 to understand Book 2.
1. Part 1

**BOOK 2 – TWO AS ONE**

**Part One**

Six months. Six months since Jack O'Neill had disappeared without trace. Six months since the last time she'd been held in his strong arms, felt his warm lips against hers, rolled her eyes at one of his sarcastic quips.

Six months.

No more. She'd played his final message over and over until she thought even the computer was sick of hearing it. She knew he'd been more upset about Abydos than he'd let on – she should have made the stubborn man talk.

Malia knocked on her commanding officer's door. "Come in," he grumbled – since Jack's desertion, he'd gone through four replacement leaders for GT23 and this had put him in a worse mood than usual. The team just hadn't gelled the way it was beginning to under Jack's command, and they all felt his absence.

Malia strolled in. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she inquired, sinking into the chair in front of his desk.

"Yes – have a …". He shook his head with a wry smile. "Malia; would you like the chance to live on Earth for a time?"

She tilted her head. "Pardon?"

"Our government and that of the SGC have proposed that we exchange a team each to help cement the new alliance. If you agree, you'll live on Earth for at least a year, working with the SGC, whilst their team will take your place here."

"What about Tiressa? I'm not leaving her behind," Malia objected. "The Tauri Stargate's still a secret for much of the planet – it's not like there's a school for alien kids I can enroll her at." She blinked – that remark sounded remarkably like something Jack would say. Jack … Damn him.

"I wouldn't ask you to leave her behind, Malia," Tirol replied. He smiled slightly. "She wouldn't be the first alien child to live there – one of the SGC's doctors adopted a little girl from a planet called Hanka. And Tiressa's a clever girl – she'll understand not to say anything about being from another planet."

"I'll need to talk to her about this," Malia said. "She was very upset when Jack …" – she blinked away the moisture in her eyes – "when Jack left. I don't want to unsettle her again."

"Malia; I'm not just your commanding officer," Tirol said. "I'm your friend, too. How are you doing without him?"

"I miss him," she admitted, "but it hurts less each day." She clenched her fists. "I just hope whatever he's doing is worth it, because I'll beat ten kinds of griss out of him if I ever see him again."

Tirol gave a short laugh. "Good for you," he said approvingly. He opened a file. "Can you give me your decision by the end of the week?"

"Can do," Malia replied casually.

"Good. Now get out of here," Tirol said.

* * *

**Two weeks later:**

"Connection to Stargate Command established, Sub-Commandant," Altern Remia said. She grinned at her new commanding officer. "I'm looking forward to seeing this world," she added.

"I am too," Malia admitted, returning the grin. The younger woman had been one of the first to volunteer for the exchange – citing her curiosity about the Tauri. _Tauri in general, or its soldiers?_, Malia wondered. Whilst Remia was an intelligent young woman and a good officer, she seemed unusually preoccupied with men.

She activated the comdev. "This is Sub-Commandant Malia of Belrina calling Stargate Command. Come in, please."

There was a harsh burst of static, then a man with a peculiar accent – General Hammond, she presumed – replied, "This is the SGC; we're ready when you are. Please transmit your IDC."

Malia nodded to Remia then grasped her daughter's hand. "You ready, kiddo?" she said.

Tiressa put a finger in her mouth and nodded. "Yeah," she said, looking with wide eyes at the shimmering event horizon. "It's pretty, Mom," she added. "Will it hurt?"

"No, baby, but you might feel cold when we get to the other side. Don't be frightened. Have you got Jack?"

"Uh-huh." Tiressa clutched the big stuffed animal Jack had given her – he'd called it a 'dog' and had told her to name it something cool, not girlie. "Can we go, Mommy?"

Malia chuckled at her daughter's impatience then looked over to Tirol. He gave her a nod. "Stargate Command; we're coming through," she said. Then she took a deep breath and stepped through …

… onto a metal ramp surrounded by dozens of heavily armed soldiers. She looked down at Tiressa. "Okay there?" she asked.

"That was fun!" Tiressa giggled, dancing down the ramp and heading over to a portly man with little hair. "Hi!" she bubbled.

A tender smile appeared on the man's face. "Hello, young lady," he said in the peculiar accent Malia had heard earlier. "And you would be Sub-Altern …"

Tiressa laughed. "I'm just a kid," she said. "And I bet you're George."

He shook her hand gently. "That's right," he said. "You're very smart."

"Uh-huh," the little girl replied with a distinct lack of humility. "George … ya got any kids my age?"

"That's General Hammond, remember?" Malia said quickly. She stepped down the ramp and saluted him. "Sub-Commandant Malia. This is my daughter Tiressa."

"It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Sub-Commandant," the General replied, holding his hand out to her. "I've heard good things about you from SG-1 and your own CO."

"Thank you, sir," Malia said, deciding that she liked this man. "May I introduce the rest of my team?"

* * *

Major Samantha Carter strolled into the briefing room, wondering why the General had requested her presence. She was supposed to be on down-time for the next forty eight hours, and had planned on spending that time with Cassie. "You wanted to see …?"

Then her mouth dropped open. "Malia?" she said, gaping at the woman who'd become her friend during the short time she'd been on Belrina. They'd seen each other a number of times since, but it had been six weeks since their last meeting. "It's your team that's swapped with SG-8?"

Malia smiled. "Surprise!" She tugged at the child hiding behind her. "Tiressa; this is Sam."

"Hi," the little girl said. "You're the one from Uncle Jack's picture."

Cute kid. "I am," she said, noting the pain that leapt into Malia's eyes at the mention of the Colonel. He'd left Belrina nearly seven months ago, after the destruction of Abydos, and no-one knew where he was now.

She sighed slightly. She'd made the conscious decision a while ago to let him go after seeing him with Malia, but that didn't mean she couldn't worry about him. She didn't love him – knew that they'd be a disaster together – but she cared for him. "Tiressa; you want to come to the commissary and get some food while your mom has her meeting?" she said.

"Do you got pilora?" the child asked, tucking a chubby hand into hers, much to her surprise. She'd not had much to do with kids, had never thought of herself as particularly maternal, but this chubby bundle was sure cute.

"Uh … I don't know," Sam said. "What is it?"

Malia chuckled. "You have it," she said. "Jack calls it Jell-O."

Ah. "We've got lots of it, kiddo," Sam said. "You ever tried blue … pilora?"

"Blue?" Tiressa crossed her eyes and made a disgusted face. "Sounds yucky."

"Trust me on this, kid; it's the greatest."

"Okay." The child beamed at her and tugged at her hand. "Can I go, Mom? Huh?"

"Of course," Malia said. "Have a good time, baby."

* * *

Jack O'Neill, former USAF Colonel, former GTU Sub-Commandant, groaned under his breath. "More freakin' Jaffa – peachy!" he groused.

He and his Tok'ra allies – who'd'a thought, huh? – had 'gated to this dustbowl of a planet a couple days earlier and had set up camp in a dense forest to await the arrival of the snake-heads. "Know who these guys are, Jake?" he added.

Jacob Carter dipped his head then his eyes flashed, indicating that his snake … uh Selmak … was in control. Even after six months with these guys and everything they'd gone through together, that still freaked him out. "By their markings, I would surmise Cronus sect," Selmak replied. "They are far outside their usual territory, however."

"Probably taking advantage of the fact that we whupped Bastet's ass," Jack said, earning himself a grin from Malek and the rest. After six months of Jack's irreverent comments, the Tok'ra had loosened up considerably – probably given it up as a bad job.

"I agree with Jack," Arislet chimed in. She rarely joined in the banter that characterized this particular group, but her years of experience with the Tok'ra – she was even older than Selmak – made her invaluable. "By taking Bastet out of the picture, we have caused serious rifts to develop within the System Lords."

"Cool," Jack said. "Divide and conquer, guys; divide and conquer."

They held their collective breaths as the Jaffa troops tramped past them, then settled down when they realized that they hadn't been detected. "So … what now?" Jack asked as they broke out ration packs. Interesting galactic phenomenon – all MREs sucked.

"Vacation," Arislet said.

Everyone looked at her. "Say what?" Jacob asked.

"We have been fighting for six months," she replied. "We deserve a vacation, and I'm sure you would like to see Samantha again."

"It has been a while," Jacob said. "What about you, Jack? Want to come back to Earth for a bit?"

Jack mulled it over. He was desperate to see Malia and Tiressa again, but it had been so long – where had the time gone? She was a young beautiful woman – she didn't deserve for him to come back and toy with her emotions. Also, he'd be arrested and court martialed before he got two feet out of the Belrina Stargate. "Yeah," he decided. "Might be fun."

* * *

**Stargate Command:**

"Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sir," Sergeant Walter Harriman said.

Major General George S. Hammond frowned. It had been over six months since they'd heard from their allies, but news of their sudden aggressive stance against the Goa'uld had filtered to the SGC via other allies. In that short time, several Goa'ulds had lost their territory, including Apophis, Bastet, Yu and Camulus. Minor Goa'ulds were now seeking to take over this territory, splintering the System Lords even further.

Then a week ago, Jacob had contacted him, asking if he and a friend could come visit Earth for a short time – for R and R. Hammond had approved it immediately – besides Jacob being one of his friends, he was also Sam Carter's father.

"Open the iris, Sergeant," he said.

The iris slid open and two figures stepped out of the event horizon onto the metal ramp. "Stand down!" Hammond ordered the SFs. He headed out of the control room and into the embarkation room to greet his old friend. "Jacob," he said, putting out a hand to the retired General.

"George," Jacob returned, his smile showing more than a hint of mischief. "I believe you know my companion," he added.

The tall man accompanying Jacob pushed back the hood of his weave robe and smirked. "Hey, General," he said.

Jesus H. Christ! Catching at his dignity before it completely deserted him, Hammond nodded at his former 2IC. "It's been a long time, son," he said. Whilst there wasn't that big of an age gap between them, not enough for him to literally be his father, Hammond had always felt that way toward the younger man.

"Sure has, sir," Jack replied. "Well … me for my cabin. Ya coming, Jake?" That was abrupt, even for this particular hyperactive man.

"We'd like Doctor Fraiser to check you both out before we release you into the general population," Hammond said with a poorly hidden wince. Even when he'd still been bound by USAF regs, Jack had had less than a fondness for the infirmary. But now …

"Ah, for cryin' out loud, General – I'm fine!" Jack protested, almost on cue. "Ya think the Tok'ra haven't looked after me?"

"Humor me, Jack," Hammond replied. "You know the rules as well as I do."

"Ah, crap," Jack muttered.

Despite his loud and grating objections to visiting the doctor, Jack usually knew that it was in his best interests, even if he wouldn't admit it. Hammond felt alarmed – what was he hiding? "Jacob?" he queried, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The door opened and Major Carter shot in, her blonde hair askew. "Dad!" she said, throwing her arms around her father's neck for a hug, then gaping at her former CO. "S-sir?" she stuttered.

He stepped backward, giving her and Jacob space to hug properly, and gave her a grin. "Hey, Carter," he said. "How ya doin'?"

"Jack … you'd better tell him," Jacob said wearily. "He'll find out soon enough."

"Find out what?" Hammond's fists clenched. If someone didn't tell him what was going on, and damn soon, they were going to find out just how pissed off one good-natured Major General could get.

"Sir … General … I'm detecting two symbiotes," Major Samantha Carter said in a quiet tone.

Thump – there went the other shoe.

* * *

Shit. Busted. Jack sighed, knowing that he couldn't get out of this one.

"You're a Tok'ra, son?" General Hammond sounded shocked.

Jack couldn't blame him really. If anyone had told him three months ago that he'd willingly become a host, he'd have told that moron exactly where to stick it. "It's a long story, sir," he said evenly, then winced as he heard his inner Yiddish mama pressing him. She was very good at the guilt and at getting him to take better care of himself. **_Yeah, yeah_**, he directed toward her. **_You're on._**

He felt the strange silver tingle as she took control, then heard: "General Hammond, Major Carter; I am Arislet of the Tok'ra."

Sam's eyes widened. "Arislet?" she said. "It's been a long time."

Jack could feel Arislet's bemusement, but she recovered quickly. "Ah, yes; you were host to Jolinar of Malkshur. Jack told me much about you."

"Uh … yeah," Carter mumbled, her blue eyes like saucers. "Can I talk to the Colonel?"

**_The Colonel_**, Arislet said. **_She still refers to you that way._**

**_Don't tease her_**, Jack warned. Whilst quiet, Arislet had a wicked sense of humor to match his own, and they tended to spend much of their free time sharpening their wits on each other.

**_As if!_**, Arislet replied mockingly. **_Well, back over to you, Colonel._**

Jack sighed and felt his mouth moving under his control once more. "It's me," he said. "Long story short; Cronus's goons captured us, kicked the crap out of me and left me for dead – as a warning to the upstart Tauri," he said mockingly. "Jake managed to get me back to Vorash, I met Arislet, and … true love!"

He felt Arislet sigh. "Okay, okay; not true love, but she'd lost her previous host, and I would've died, so we … blended." He couldn't resist. "For a snake, she's okay."

General Hammond rolled his eyes. "Only you could argue with someone you're blended with, son," he commented, a smile pulling at his lips.

"Actually, it's pretty common," Jack replied. "So, when do we get to the part where ol' Doc Fraiser sticks a needle in my butt?"

He was not eager to face the medical, but he was eager to end this conversation. He was grateful that Arislet had enabled him to continue his mission to wipe out the Goa'uld, but was still finding it difficult to adjust to having another being inside of him.

**_It was an adjustment for me, also, Jack_**, Arislet confided suddenly. **_I have always had female hosts until you. The male of your species has always been a mystery to me, but you are strange even for your kind_**, she added snidely – payback for the snake comment, no doubt.

* * *

After a long – even by Jack O'Neill's standards – medical work-up, the Doc finally pronounced him fit and healthy. "Even your knee's as good as new – presumably thanks to … uh … Arislet."

"Actually, no," Jack said. "That was the Belrina doctors. My knee hasn't felt so good in years." He braced himself then looked over at Daniel, who was propped up against the wall. "I … uh … I don't suppose you've heard anything from Belrina, have ya?"

Daniel chuckled. "You mean have I seen Malia, don't you?" he teased.

"Remind me why I like you again," Jack grumbled. "Yeah; I mean Malia."

"Last time I saw her, she was well," Daniel said. "She misses you, though."

Shit. In the message he'd left, he'd told her to be happy. "Yeah?" he said in a would-be casual tone. "So … what's she been up to lately?"

"She's off world at the moment," Daniel said, his blue eyes dancing behind his glasses. "Bet you'd like to know just where she is, wouldn't you?"

_Memo to self; maim Daniel later._ He settled for a deadpan stare. "I'm curious."

The klaxon sounded then a voice blared over the PA: "Off world activation!

* * *

Malia handed her weapon over to one of the SFs and nodded to General Hammond. "No problems, sir," she said. "They're willing to pursue a trade agreement – recommend we send SG-13 to follow up."

"Very good, Sub-Commandant," Hammond said. "We'll debrief in an hour. Report to the Infirmary."

"Peachy," Malia mumbled, then wilted under Hammond's glare. Despite the physical dissimilarity, he reminded her of Tirol. He had quite a high tolerance for smart-mouthed subordinates – likely due to three years of putting up with Jack – but there was a limit. "I'm going, sir," she said.

She left the embarkation room and strolled along the concrete corridors to the Infirmary, mulling over the last ten days. She and Tiressa had settled well into the small apartment the Air Force had provided for her, and Tiressa was enjoying her new school.

Although children didn't begin school until they were six in this land, the assessments had shown Tiressa to have the language skills and reading comprehension of a nine year old, and she had therefore been placed in the 'fourth grade'. Malia had been uneasy at this initially, as Tiressa had been resented in her old school for her youth. But the children in her new school had practically adopted her, making sure that other children didn't bully her.

During her limited free time, Malia had taken the opportunity to explore her new home with Samantha and Daniel. He was not nearly as irritable as he'd appeared at their first meeting, although he could be cynical and defensive, and she'd grown fond of him.

She swung rapidly around the corner, her long legs eating up the distance, and crashed into a hard wall of muscle. "Oh, gods, sorry!" she muttered then looked up into a pair of shocked brown eyes.

Shocked, delicious, brown eyes she'd thought she would never see again. "Jack?" she whispered.

"Malia," he said softly. "Small galaxy, huh?"

He looked marvelous. He'd lost a little weight during his long absence, but was lean and hard. Several new lines were etched into his forehead and his eyes were tired and strained-looking, but he was still beautiful to her. "Yes," she said.

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to resist the urge to kiss him senseless … or beat the griss out of him. It could go either way.

"What are you doing on Earth?" Jack asked.

She shrugged. "We're here on exchange with SG-8," she said. "I could ask the same of you."

He returned the shrug. "Vacation," he said. "Six months of Goa'uld whuppin' takes its toll." He put a hand out to touch her shoulder then seemed to think better of it. "How have you been, Malia?"

"Good," she replied, cursing at the banality of this conversation. "Why did you do it, Jack?" she asked. "Why did you leave us?"

He flinched, then regarded her seriously – no sarcastic expression there. "It was necessary," he said. "The snake-heads have to be stopped – and your people won't get involved."

"Oh, for crying out loud! What do you think this exchange program is for?" she said, exasperated with him. "If you'd only waited a few months instead of going off like some meat-head commando, you'd have been there when we signed the official treaty with this world to fight the Goa'uld!"

"Ah." A shamed look appeared in his brown eyes and he shifted awkwardly. "So … feel free to beat the shit out of me," he said. "I told you you deserved better than me – I hope you find that somebody."

Gods, those eyes … Although she'd grown up surrounded by dark-eyed people, Jack's eyes really melted her butter as Samantha put it. "I'm an adult, Jack – I get to decide what's best for me," she said. She put her hand to his tanned cheek. "I missed you," she added. "And if you don't kiss me soon, I really will beat the 'shit' out of you."

He chuckled – the sound rusty, as if he hadn't laughed for a long time. "Well, I wouldn't want that," he said, and put his hands to her face, covering her lips gently with his.

She sighed at the tender kiss then opened her lips to deepen the kiss. Seven months since she'd been held by him, for gods' sakes! She pressed eagerly into him, sliding her hands down his back to cup his rear, as she lost herself in his embrace.

Only the raucous whistle of a passing SF brought her mind to where they were. "Get a room!" the SF yelled.

"Airman?" Jack queried, and Malia watched gleefully as the SF turned pale.

"Colonel O'Neill, sir!" he stuttered, saluting quickly, and ignoring the fact that Jack had left the Air Force nearly three years ago.

"Better," Jack said, an evil glint in his eyes.

Malia reluctantly disentangled herself from his warm body. "Uh … I'd better go; post-mission physical," she said. "But I'd like to see you tonight; will you come to my apartment?"

"Ya sure?" Jack asked. "What about Tiressa?"

Malia shook her head. "Not tonight," she said. "She's round at a friend's house – I'd rather wait until …". _Until I know whether or not you plan on staying around this time_, she thought but didn't say.

Guilt swept over his features once more. "Crap," he muttered. "I'm such a thoughtless bastard at times; you really should beat the hell out of me."

"Maybe later, Jack, maybe later," she teased. She passed him a small card with her address on it. "Seven o'clock?"

He nodded. "I'll be there," he promised. "You'd better get to the Infirmary – Doc Fraiser'll be sending the SFs after you."

She grimaced. "Great." She brushed her lips gently across his. "I'll see you tonight," she added.

* * *

The evening started off poorly. Both Malia and Jack were nervous, and conversation was spasmodic and limited to banalities. She sighed and pushed her barely-touched plate to one side. "This isn't working, is it?" she said.

He jerked his head up, evidently lost in his thoughts. "Guess not," he agreed feebly. "There's something I need to tell you – we can't move on till I do."

Oh, gods, he's found someone else … She should have expected this. It had been over half a year, and he was a very attractive man. But then … why did he kiss her that way at the SGC? She clamped down on her meandering then took their plates into the kitchen – she'd break them later; maybe over his head.

She came back into the living room and sat on the settee, curling her legs up underneath her. "I'm listening," she said.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and sat down next to her. "There's no gentle way to do this," he said, "so I'll give you it straight up."

She smiled slightly – that's what she liked about him; his unbridled honesty. "All right."

"About ten weeks ago, I was captured by Cronus' forces," he said. "They … interrogated me for days, but I wouldn't tell them anything. Jacob managed to get me back to Vorash, but I was badly injured. Beyond their ability to heal. Then I met Arislet, a Tok'ra who'd lost her host."

Malia gasped. "You … you became a Tok'ra?" She knew very little about the Goa'uld offshoot, though she'd met Jacob Carter briefly and found him very charming in an old-fashioned way.

"Yeah," he said with a grimace. "Never would've figured on that happening."

Malia's mind was spinning. She'd been fascinated by the idea of the Tok'ra – two sentients sharing one body – since learning of them from Samantha, and now she had the chance to talk to one. She tucked her hand into his. "Can I … can I meet her?" she said.

His eyes widened – presumably at how well she was taking this news. "Uh, yeah," he replied. He dipped his head then lifted it with a curious flash to the eyes.

"I am Arislet," he … she … said. "It's nice to finally meet you, Malia; you have been much in Jack's thoughts. I understand you have a little girl – is she not here tonight?"

Malia smiled. "She's sleeping at a friend's house tonight; I didn't want to give her false hope."

Arislet grimaced. "Understandable," she replied. "Jack is a good man at heart, but he does stupid things." She squeezed Malia's hand. "You're very beautiful, and I know he loves you both, even if he doesn't say it often enough."

"Then why did he leave? He gave me a reason, but something happened on Abydos that he isn't telling me."

Arislet shook her head. "I can't break a confidence, Malia, but it was the only thing that could have made him leave you and Tiressa – he was very happy on your world."

Malia smiled again. "Thanks – that actually helps," she said, surprised at how … personable this Goa'uld was. Not Goa'uld; Tok'ra, she corrected herself.

"Well, I should let Jack take back control now," Arislet said with a small chuckle. "He's beginning to recite rude limericks." She clasped Malia's hand again. "But it was nice to talk to you – I look forward to doing it again."

* * *

Jack chuckled as he felt control being returned to him, and decided to stop the recitation of limericks. "So …" – he cleared his throat – "she's okay, isn't she?"

Malia turned and faced him. "She seems nice," she agreed cautiously, "but you were so anti … uh … snake-head. Sorry, Arislet. I never would have pictured you agreeing to a blending!"

"A year ago; hell, six months ago, I'd've said the same," he agreed. "I've been shot up by Jaffa before, been left for dead before … but things are different now. I've got a reason to stick around, and I need to be fully fit." He playfully flexed one of his biceps, wanting to lighten the conversation. "See that; not bad for a guy pushing 50, huh?"

She wrapped her hand around said bicep and squeezed it. "Very nice," she agreed, stroking the underside of his arm with her thumb. "So … what other improvements has Arislet made?"

Jack blinked at the decidedly sexy tone that had appeared in Malia's voice, but forced his mind out of the gutter. "Oh, agility, stamina, strength … you name it."

"Hmmmm." She cocked her head slightly to one side, then tapped a forefinger to her lips. "You know; seven months is a very long time; I may have forgotten some things." She molded her lips against his, her tongue flicking out delicately to taste him. "Yes; just as I remembered," she breathed.

Then her long strong fingers slid up inside his shirt, feeling his rib cage. "You've lost a little weight – it suits you," she said as the fingers found a ticklish spot and he jerked away.

"Uhh … Malia." His mind was back in the gutter and he gave in, catching her mouth in a hot passionate kiss. They could talk later. Right now, he had a warm sexy woman running wicked hands up and down his torso. Jack O'Neill was a lot of things but – contrary to the image he projected – he wasn't stupid.


	2. Part 2

**Part Two**

"No … wait," Malia uttered hoarsely, pushing Jack gently away.

His shirt was MIA, his eyes were dark with passion and his hair was sticking out stupidly – he looked wonderful to her. But she didn't want him to think that she was going to let him back in her bed after over half a year of silence. She'd been used and abused by one male in her life – never again.

With trembling hands she tugged her tee shirt back on, still tingling from the touch of his hands on her body. "It's too soon," she told him.

He shoved a hand through his hair, his muscles moving interestingly. Mmmmmm … naked Jack … _No; be good, Malia!_, she urged herself. "Yeah, I guess so," he agreed. He looked around. "Uh … where's my shirt?"

She blushed fiercely, remembering how she'd practically flung it to one side in the heated encounter. She closed her eyes and visualized the trajectory. "Ah." She got up and headed over to the music unit, retrieving the shirt from where it covered one of the speakers.

He grinned and pulled the shirt back on. She was maliciously pleased to note that his fingers seemed no steadier than her own as he fastened the buttons. "So …," he said.

"So … talk to me," she replied. "It's been a long time – we need to get to know each other again."

"Geez, where to start!"

He rolled his eyes and she smothered a giggle. "Try at the beginning," she said sarcastically.

* * *

Malia padded into the living room, her hand flying to her chest as she saw a shock of silver hair on her settee. Ah. Jack. They'd stayed up very late talking and she'd offered him the settee when she realized it was too late to call a taxi to get him back to the base.

Although she would have liked to have slept in his arms once again, she knew that it wouldn't have ended at an innocent embrace. She put a hand to the warm skin of his bare shoulder – ignoring the erotic thoughts that flooded her brain – and shook him gently. "Jack," she said.

He opened one brown eye reluctantly. "Hey," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it softly. "So … any decision made yet?"

She chuckled at the hopeful gleam in that one eye. "I'd like to see your cabin," she admitted softly. During their long talk last night, he'd asked for a second chance; one she'd been happy to give him. She understood that his work with the Tok'ra wasn't yet done, but she wanted him in her life – she'd wait for him, as long as he kept in contact.

He opened the other eye. "Sweeeet," he said. "How's about a proper good morning?"

She laughed again then put her hand to his cheek, brushing her lips softly against his. "Good morning," she murmured.

She felt him smile against her lips. "Mornin'," he replied. He pressed a sweet kiss to her neck then pulled his shirt on over his head, not bothering to unbutton it first.

The door banged open and Malia jumped away from Jack. "Mom; I'm home!" Tiressa sang out, clattering into the living room. Then she skidded to a confused halt. "Uncle Jack?"

He finally opened the second eye and sat up. "Hey, baby," he said quietly.

She put a finger in her mouth. "You made my mom cry," she accused.

"Yeah," he said. "Sometimes, grown-ups do stupid things for good reasons."

She hugged her arms to her little chest. "So; whatcha do it for? Was it the snake-heads?"

Malia was interested – he had yet to share why the attack on Abydos rather than another planet had caused him to leave.

"Yeah … they hurt some friends of mine," Jack said. "Nice people who'd never harmed anyone in their lives."

"That planet – Aby … Aby …"

"Abydos," Jack got out, his brow furrowing. "The Goa'uld … They killed everyone. Kasuf, Skaara …". Pain shot into his dark eyes.

"Skaara," Malia breathed out, recognizing the name. He had once confided in her that a young man named Skaara had been taken as a host by the Goa'uld, Klorel. She put her hand on his hard forearm, squeezing it. "Oh, I'm sorry, Jack," she said.

"Who's Skaara?" Tiressa said, her eyes bright with interest, drawing nearer to Jack.

"He was a friend of mine, baby," Jack said. "Nice kid – you would've liked him."

He took in a deep breath, evidently fighting his emotions, and Tiressa put her chubby hand on his knee. "Don't be sad, Uncle Jack," she said. "You gots me and Mom."

"I know," he replied. He put out a hand and ruffled her curls. "So … are we okay now?"

She put her hands on her hips. "You gonna make Mom cry again?"

"I'll try not to," he said. "That's the best I can promise."

She nodded her head, once again seeming older than her years. "Then we're okay," she said. She tugged at his arm. "Want a hug?"

"Hell, yeah!" he said, the cheeky words contrasting with the tenderness in his features. He lifted Tiressa up onto his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and slung his free arm around Malia. "Can't leave your Mom out, can we?" he asked.

Tiressa shook her head. "Nuh-uh," she agreed, patting his chest.

"Tiressa; Jack's invited us to see his cabin," Malia said. "Would you like that?"

The curly head nodded. "Yu-huh. Can I bring Jack?"

A crease appeared between Jack's brows and Malia clarified: "She named the stuffed animal you gave her 'Jack'."

"Ah, geez, kiddo! I told you to name him somethin' cool!"

"You're cool, Uncle Jack," she said. "You're funny and you fight the bad guys."

He chuckled. "Kid's got no taste," he muttered to Malia.

She returned the chuckle, pleased to note that some things never changed. The man still had no idea how much of an effect he had on people – they either loved him or loathed him. And he was just as bad at accepting compliments as ever. "Yes; of course you can bring Jack," she said to her daughter.

* * *

It had been a few years since he'd driven, but he was pleased to see he'd lost nothing. And this truck of T's handled like a dream. He could hear Arislet snigger. **_What?_**, he asked.

**_I now understand what Samantha means by boys and toys_**, she replied. **_You are like an overgrown child when it comes to vehicles._**

**_So?_** Jack wasn't about to deny it. **_I'm not a complex guy – beer, pizza and trucks, and I'm happy._**

**_You give yourself far too little credit, Jack_**, Arislet chided him. **_Remember; I know you better than anyone ever will._**

He tried – really tried – not to be creeped out at the idea of someone knowing him so well. There was a lot of crap in his memories that was better off buried.

"Are we there yet?" Tiressa said, lurching up from the back seat to peer over Jack's shoulder. Thank God for impatient kids!

"You must be careful, Tiressa," Teal'c said calmly, retrieving her and placing her back on his lap. For some reason, the big warrior and the chubby little girl had taken a real shine to each other. "If O'Neill had to stop suddenly, the momentum would be dangerous for you."

She crinkled her nose. "Huh?" she said, tracing his tattoo with her fingers – the gold mark was a never-ending source of fascination for her.

"You would fall – you may even be thrown through the windscreen," Teal'c said bluntly. "We care for you and don't want you to be hurt."

"Oh," Tiressa said in a small voice. "Okay; I'll be good, T," she said. "Are Sam and Daniel coming?"

Jack chuckled. "They'll be along soon," he replied – it had been his idea to invite the whole gang to the cabin. It took some of the pressure from Malia if others were around; he knew he had a lot of fences to build before she could trust him again. "Daniel drives like an old woman."

* * *

**Minnesota:**

Jack fought back a chuckle at the dubious look on Malia's face. "What can I say; it's fishing!" he said, gesturing widely.

"But you haven't caught anything!" Malia objected.

Jack bit back a sigh – another one who didn't get the allure of fishing. "It's not the catching, it's the fish-ing. It's relaxing," he said.

She looked at him as if he were a few bricks shy. "If you say so," she said.

"Tiressa; back me up here!" Jack said.

"Nuh-uh," she said. "S'boring."

Traitor. He crossed his eyes at her and stuck out his tongue. She just giggled and resumed her drawing. "I'll just sit here and sunbathe," Malia said.

She tugged her tee shirt over her head, and Jack's jaw nearly unhinged. _Down, boy!_ That was one sweeeeet little tank top number. Whilst fairly modest – she didn't have a lot of confidence in her body – it showed off every lush curve to perfection. His gaze traveled downward and then something shiny caught his eye. "What's that?" he taunted quietly.

She looked down and triangulated where his attention was. She blushed slightly. "A navel ring," she replied. "Samantha convinced me to have it done last week – she and Janet also got one each."

"Nice," he muttered. He'd never have thought he'd be a fan of body piercing, but that little silver bar was very sexy. He wandered over and sat down next to her. "So … is it still tender?"

"A little," she admitted, "but the young man who did it gave me some lotion that soothes it." She gave him a calculating look. "I'll need to put some more on tonight – you want to rub it in?"

Wicked woman. He looked around quickly then dropped a soft kiss onto her stomach. "Careful, there – don't mess with me," he warned, unable to help the smirk that pulled at his lips when she sucked in a startled breath. "I'm a great believer in revenge."

She returned the smirk. "Oh … I think I could handle it," she said, snaking her hand up his leg, inside his shorts then squeezing his thigh. She got up and headed over to Carter, swaying her rounded hips deliberately he was sure.

He revised his opinion of her. Evil. She was pure evil. Thank God for baggy shorts!

* * *

Samantha laughed. "You know he's going to pay you back for that little move, right?" she said, her blue eyes dancing.

Malia returned the laugh. "I'll risk it," she retorted. "Jack can be a little too full of himself at times. Also; I get the feeling he isn't coping as well as he makes out with the … ah … blending thing. He needs this vacation."

"He's never really trusted the Tok'ra," Samantha said with a sigh. "Not after the way Jolinar took control of me. He doesn't seem them as being much better than the Goa'uld. He must have been very badly hurt to consider becoming a host." She smiled suddenly. "But Arislet is one of the less arrogant Tok'ra – she doesn't see Jack as primitive, just as someone who needs … mothering, I guess."

"Jolinar knew Arislet?" Malia asked interestedly.

"Oh, they go way back," Samantha said. "Of course, this is the first time Arislet has had a male host – things are probably a bit different now." She rubbed at her stomach. "Damn, this itches! Remind me why we did this again?"

"Alcohol," Malia replied succinctly, remembering with a wince the hangover. She was never drinking again. "Did you remember the lotion Janet gave you?"

"Yeah; I think I'll go put some on," Samantha said. "I don't want to be scratching at this all night."

Malia felt her own skin begin to itch in sympathy. She slapped irritably at an insect that was chewing happily on her neck. "Ugh; away!" She'd never been a nature lover, and now she remembered why.

She headed back into Jack's cabin and chuckled as Daniel and Jacob appeared from their respective rooms with equally grouchy looks on their faces. "Coffee," Daniel muttered, squinting at Samantha's father.

"Yeah," Jacob said then nodded to Malia. "Morning, Malia," he said – even when grouchy, he was old-world charming, she noted.

"Good morning, Jacob … Daniel," she replied. She jerked her thumb toward the kitchen. "I believe Jack put a pot on earlier."

"Ah, bless the man," Daniel mumbled, making a quick dive for the kitchen. "Jacob; you want some?" he called.

"Yeah; after I pee," the older man replied. "It's been years since I had coffee – Selmak complains when I drink it."

Malia chuckled at the thought of a snake complaining away in Jacob's head. "Are all Tok'ra worriers, or is it just Selmak and Arislet?" she asked.

Jacob gave a grin. "Oh, there's a few of 'em," he said. "But Selmak and Arislet are amongst the oldest – they tend to view even an old soldier like me as a child."

Malia rubbed at her stomach – the itching was not amusing her. "But … it's worth it, right?" she said.

He regarded her with piercing dark eyes, and she recalled then that he had previously been a high-ranking officer in this land's military. "You're worried about Jack," he said.

She nodded her head. "Yes," she admitted. "He hasn't said anything – and probably won't – but I have the feeling he's not going to get used to being blended very easily."

Jacob dipped his head then his eyes flashed, indicating that Selmak was now in control. "Jack O'Neill doesn't trust easily," Selmak said. "And some of the Tok'ra can be arrogant. It is a bad combination. If we could find another host for Arislet, she would willingly leave, but our current lifestyle makes that virtually impossible."

"I suppose so," Malia said. "Is there anything I can do to help him? I've never been a host, but I care about him – I want to help him through this."

"He doesn't accept help easily, either," Jacob said now. "But I think he'll take it from you more readily than he would anyone else. I've seen how he looks at you, kiddo." He regarded her steadily. "He's got quite a thing for you."

Malia blushed. "I have for him, too," she admitted, "and Tiressa loves him as well." She put a hand on the older man's arm. "Please … make sure he looks after himself when you leave Earth," she added. "I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him."

"You know there are no guarantees in our line of work, Malia," he said gently, covering her hand with his. "But I'll try."

"Thank you," Malia said – for some reason, this kindly man reminded her of her father.

"Uh … Malia; must pee," Jacob said, breaking the tender moment.

Malia gave a helpless spurt of laughter. "Then go," she said, patting his shoulder.

* * *

Jack wandered over to Sam, unable to resist the opportunity to tease his former 2IC. "So … Carter; heard you, Malia and Doc Fraiser did something crazy last week?" he said nonchalantly.

She went pink then her blue eyes met his. "Yes, sir," she said with a smirk. "You want to look?"

Huh? Could he look? Would she kick his ass? Would Malia kick his ass? "Okay," he said.

Carter pushed the waistband of her shorts down slightly to reveal a blue bar. "Nice, huh?" she said.

"Uh … yeah!" he said. "Pretty sexy, Carter," he teased. "I'm pretty sure it's against dress code, though."

"Yeah; I have to take it out when I'm on duty," she said, pulling the waistband back up. "It itches like hell; I still can't believe Janet talked us into this!" She gave him a wicked grin. "But Pete likes it."

"Pete?" His interest was piqued. "Who's Pete?"

"He's a friend of Mark's," she said, then grimaced. "He set us up – pretty pathetic, huh?"

"Bout time, Carter," Jack said. "I distinctly remember ordering you to get a life several years ago."

"Uncle Jack?" A tousled head appeared out of one of the bushes. "Ya seen T?"

"Nah, sorry," he said. "Carter?"

"Why d'ya call her Carter?" Tiressa objected, sidling over to them and tucking her chubby hand into Jack's. "Her name's Sam. Call her Sam."

"Yes, sir – call me Sam," Carter said.

"Sorry; force of habit," Jack said. "Okay … Sam. But I'm Jack; not 'sir'."

"Yes, s … Jack." She wrinkled her nose. "Feels weird after years of 'sir'."

"Yeah. So, baby, you want us to help you find T?"

"Yeah. He's good at this … hide go seek thing," Tiressa grumbled. "He's so big I should be able to find him easy."

Jack knew that it was years of battle that had honed Teal'c's stealth skills, yet even he was occasionally startled at how well the huge man could camouflage when he wanted. "We should split up," he said. "We can cover more ground that way. You girls go in one direction and I'll go another."

Carter's eyes narrowed, and he just knew he was going to catch hell for the word 'girls'. "Uh … ladies?" he offered.

"Better," Carter said, but seemed content to let it go at that. He still remembered the feminist rant she'd treated them to about reproductive organs when they'd first met – thankfully she'd loosened up some since then.

* * *

"Aaaaahh." Malia closed her eyes in bliss and sighed as the cooling lotion – something these people called calamine – sank into the itching skin.

"Feel better, does it?" Jack said lightly.

Her eyes popped open to find him standing at the entrance to her bedroom, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Much," she said, determined not to blush. Over the last couple of days, they'd engaged in a game of one-up-manship that could only end one of two ways – stalemate or one of them ravaging the other.

Seeing that look in his eyes, and the way his tee shirt hugged his chest, ravaging looked more likely. She let a small smile out then squirted some more of the lotion into her palm, rubbing it over her stomach.

"Geez," he said, shaking his head, "who knew calamine could be so sexy?"

Definitely ravaging. "Did you want something, Jack, or did you come here just to watch me rub this white goop into my skin?"

"Evil," he muttered. "Yeah; I was wondering if you'd seen T. He's playing hide go seek with Tiressa, but we can't find him."

Malia smiled slightly at the image of the huge intimidating warrior playing a child's game, but she knew he had a child himself. And it was obvious that he cared very much for Tiressa. "Sorry," she said, sighing as the cool liquid did its job.

"Y'know; we have a word for women like you," he said, moving rapidly over to her and stroking her stomach with a lean digit.

She forced herself not to shiver. "Really? And what is that word?" she inquired as another finger joined in the stroking motion.

"Tease," he said, covering her lips with his in a hot possessive kiss.

"Mmmmm," she mumbled, sliding her hands under his tee shirt to imitate his stroking move. She moved away slightly as the kiss ended and tapped her finger to her chin. "Well … I think we're wearing too many clothes," she said. "What d'you think?"

Suddenly the room spun 180 degrees then she found herself lying on the bed with Jack's busy hands reacquainting themselves with her body. "Mmmm … was that a covert operations move?" she said, divesting him of his tee shirt.

He chuckled against her neck. "Oh yeah – a guy of many skills," he said huskily, tugging off her tank top and planting teasing kisses down her body.

_So much for taking things slowly, Malia!_, she scolded herself before giving in to the delightful sensations.

* * *

Jack woke up, disoriented for a brief interval by the sensation of a warm body lying over his. Ah, Malia. He pressed a warm kiss to her neck. "Morning," he said.

She opened her eyes. "Morning," she replied with a grin. "Are you wanting to play?"

He chuckled and stretched under her. "Mmmm … as much fun as that sounds, I promised Jacob I'd go fishing with him," he said. "He'll be banging on that door pretty soon."

"Then you'd better get ready," Malia said. "Before I decide to keep you busy with … ahem! … other things," she added, placing a hand on his hip.

His body responded instantly. "Geez, I've created a monster," he said. "Ah, what the hell." He pulled her head down to his and kissed her thoroughly, enjoying her warm lips and the sexy little sounds she made. He was proud of her – of the sexy passionate woman she'd become. So many women who'd gone through what she had simply withdrew.

Just as things were getting heated, there was a loud knocking on the door. "Damn," Malia mumbled. "His timing is awful."

He laughed. "It could've been worse," he pointed out. "He could've knocked right in the middle of …"

"Yeah." She blushed then gave him a hard kiss. "You'd better get going," she added, giving his butt a cheeky squeeze.

* * *

"Morning, Samantha," Malia said. "Where's Tiressa?"

"Daniel and Teal'c have taken her to the shops," Samantha replied. "D'you want some coffee?"

"Yes, please," Malia said. She liked Earth's coffee – it wasn't as bitter as tenral, and was therefore much more pleasant.

"Why d'you call me Samantha?" the other woman asked. "Most people call me Sam."

Malia shrugged, taking the cup off her friend. "Samantha suits you better," she said. "Sam's a boyish name, and you're not in the least." She regarded her. "I can call you Sam if you'd prefer."

"Oh, that's okay," Samantha said. "It's just … different. So … I guess you had a good night?" she added with a mischievous grin.

Malia blushed then gave in with a laugh. "What can I say; he's a sexy passionate man. And speaking of men; why didn't you invite Pete here?"

"I did," Samantha said, "but he's got a case in Denver he can't leave. He's going to try to get here at the weekend."

"Good," Malia replied. "I'd like to meet him. And I'd like to see how he copes with Jacob."

Samantha closed her eyes and groaned. "It doesn't bear thinking about," she said. "My father is an incredible smart ass."

"Must be why he and Jack get on so well," Malia said.

Samantha laughed. "You're probably right," she admitted. "So … any plans for today?"

"Well, I certainly don't fancy joining Jack and Jacob," Malia said. "I don't understand what they see in this fishing thing."

"Me either," Samantha replied. "What about a girlie day?"

"A … girlie day?" Malia was intrigued. "What does this … girlie day consist of?"

"Shopping, pampering ourselves and talking about guys," Samantha said. "Shame Janet couldn't have been here – we could have had a proper girlie day."

"She's a bad influence on us, anyway," Malia said, remembering whose idea it had been to get the navel piercings.

* * *

Jack flapped idly at the insect that landed on his skin, pleased that the bugs weren't chewing him to bits for once. "Hey, Jake – how come these little buggers aren't having their usual fiesta on me?"

"It's the naqahdah in your body," Jacob mumbled from under his cap – well, Jack's cap actually; he'd borrowed it to protect his thinning pate from the sun. "For some reason, the bugs hate it."

"Ah." That would explain why Carter and Teal'c had never been plagued by the things on some of the jungle planets they'd 'gated to. Cool. "So … wonder what the girls are up to?"

"Sam said something about dragging Malia to the mall," Jacob said. "She seems like a nice kid."

"She's not exactly a kid, Jake," Jack pointed out. Hell, no; she was all woman.

"She is to me," Jacob said with a slight grin. "But I can see what you see in her – she's pretty gorgeous."

Oh, yeah … "Keep your eyes off my woman, Jake," Jack said lazily, glad that Malia wasn't around to hear herself described thus. "Get one of your own."

"Maybe I will," Jacob said.

Jack was shocked. "Say what?"

"It's been a long time, Jack, but I'm not dead yet," the older man said. "Selmak's been nagging me for a while about being alone. Use it or lose it, she said."

Jack chuckled. "Huh; I wonder if all Tok'ra are yentas at heart," he mused. "Arislet pressed me for months to contact Malia. Course, I didn't imagine she'd be here on Earth."

**_You should have listened to me_**, Arislet chided him. **_You could have saved months of pain for both of you._**

**_It was too dangerous; you know that_**, Jack said. **_Besides, I thought she'd've moved on. She's a beautiful sexy woman – she could have any guy she wants._**

**_Yes and, for some reason that's a mystery to me, she wants you, Jack_**, Arislet replied quietly. **_What do you intend to do about it?_**

**_What can I do? I can't expect her to put her life on hold while we're off kicking Goa'uld ass – she deserves better than that._**

"Jack?"

Jack jerked himself back and grinned sheepishly at Jacob. "Sorry, Jake; just having a fight with Arislet," he said, dangling his feet in the cool water. Bliss. His cabin, his friends and a lake – he was a happy guy right now. Time enough to worry about the future later.

* * *

Bliss. Malia signed as they left the beauty parlor, her muscles deliciously relaxed from the massage. "This was a good idea," she said to Samantha.

"Oh, yeah," Samantha replied. "I keep telling Janet we need a masseuse on staff – so far she hasn't bought it."

They sat down on a bench in the mall, Malia watching everyone mill around. It was surprising how similar this world was to her own. She laughed suddenly. "Can you picture General Hammond's face when he saw that requisition form?"

"Hey; you gals in the army?" a man said, sitting down near them.

"Air Force," Samantha said. "Major Samantha Carter."

"Cool," the guy said. "I always liked the military – especially if all Air Force girls are as good looking as you."

"Girls?" Malia said. "We're women, thank you."

The man just grinned a boyish grin. "Sorry," he said. He smiled at Samantha. "Are you doing anything tonight, Major?"

Samantha grinned, then took the man's face in her hands and kissed him passionately. "I thought you couldn't get here till the weekend?" she said when the kiss ended.

"Case wrapped up quicker than I thought," the man – Pete, evidently – said. "That's one less scumbag walking the streets of Denver." He grinned at Malia. "You have to be Malia," he said. "You're exactly as Sam described you. I'm Pete Shanahan."

"I gathered that," Malia said dryly. "I didn't figure Samantha to be the type to kiss strangers." So much for the girlie day!

"Well … I think I'll head out to the cabin," Pete said now. "I'm not a big fan of mall hopping."

"Yeah, sure," Samantha said, giving him another kiss. "I'll see you tonight. I've got my cell in case you get lost, okay?"

"Thanks, honey," Pete said. "Have a good time, you two. It was nice meeting you, Malia."

"You too," Malia replied. As the cop walked away, she turned back to Samantha. "He seems nice," she said, "but how much does he know about what you do?"

"He was given full clearance after we rescued Sarah," Samantha replied.

Malia had not been on Earth at the time of Sarah Gardner's liberation from the Goa'uld Osiris, but had heard that Pete had played a part in it. "Right," she said, knowing to say nothing further. Not that she was paranoid or anything, but she'd learned to guard her words on this world – there was a lot of mistrust between the various nation states, and even this nation was not aware of the Stargate.

"Yeah. So … what d'you want to do now?"

Malia's stomach rumbled. "I want to eat," she said. She'd missed out on supper last night due to Jack's skilled hands and lips and … _mmmm_ … Her skin grew hot in response to the erotic memory. Simona would be so proud of her right now.

"You okay, Malia?" Samantha said curiously. "You're looking a bit flushed."

Malia chuckled. "Just remembering why I'm hungry," she said. "Let's go eat," she added.


	3. Part 3

**Part Three**

"Babe; you okay?" Jack asked.

"Fine," Malia said grumpily. "No pain-killers in this house?"

"Just ibuprofen – I don't keep anything stronger around," Jack replied, handing her a foil-covered packet.

"It's no good." Malia thrust the tablets back at him. "Ibuprofen doesn't work with my physiology." Several thousands of years away from the first world had altered her people's physiology enough to make certain medicines ineffective. She pressed her fists into her stomach. "I'll just ride it out," she said.

"C'mere," Jack said, patting the bed.

"Jack … I'm not exactly in the mood," she sighed. Usually she found it difficult to resist this passionate man – in fact, she was often the aggressor – but she was really not up to making love.

"I know you're hurting, Malia; I was married, remember?" he said. "Sara didn't like to take medication for it so I learned a massage that helped."

Malia looked at him, pleased that he could talk about his ex-wife without the shadow appearing in his brown eyes. He'd even managed to talk about Charlie yesterday, and that was the greatest of his many painful memories. "All right," she said, sitting down next to him.

He shifted his long legs so that she was sitting between them, then slid his warm sure hands inside her tee shirt. He began a circular soothing motion, his fingers seeming to know exactly where she hurt most.

She sighed as Jack's magic hands soothed her distressed abdomen. "Sometimes it really stinks to be female," she said, leaning into him. "Mmmmm," she nearly purred – whilst she felt distinctly un-sexy at the moment, his warm fingers were igniting little flickers of desire. Her current discomfort would be over within a couple of days then he would be able to use his hands in a much more intense fashion.

* * *

Jack smiled as Malia's head fell back against his shoulder, her pain eased for the time being. "Magic hands, Jack," she mumbled, turning her head and pressing a kiss into his neck. "I'll make this up to you," she added.

He carefully eased her away from him, allowing her to curl up on the bed. "Just rest," he said, stroking her cheek with a forefinger. "I'll keep an eye on Tiressa."

"Thanks, babe," she muttered, her eyes closing. "I love you."

"Love you too," he said then left the bedroom quietly. He closed the door then strolled out of the cabin, stuffing his fists into his pockets.

"Jack."

"Oh. Hey, Pete."

"Is she all right?" the younger man asked.

"Yeah," Jack said with a smile. "Just female stuff."

"Right," Pete Shanahan said. He'd been married previously, Jack knew – he understood. "I'm glad you're here, actually," he added. "You know Sam pretty well, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "We've gone through a lot together."

"Yeah," Pete replied. "I was … uh … planning to ask her to marry me," he added. "D'you think she'll accept?"

"Now that I couldn't tell you," Jack said. He knew that Carter had been married very briefly before the Stargate program went online and that it had gone sour. She'd been gun-shy for a long time after her divorce, preferring to avoid men in a social context. But that was a long time ago – maybe things had changed. He'd never seen her so happy as when she was with this cop. "But I know she's happy with you. Hell, she's even taken time off without being ordered to!"

Pete chuckled. "She's way smarter than I am – I don't think her brain ever stops whirring. But I love her; she makes me happy." He stuck his hand out to Jack. "Thanks, Jack," he said.

"You're welcome," Jack said. "Just remember; you make her unhappy and you'll have both Jacob and Selmak after you!"

"Whoa." Pete shuddered. "So … what about you and Malia? She's a real babe – want to make it a double wedding?" he teased.

"I've thought about marriage," Jack admitted, "but you know what my life's like. I don't know if I'll still be alive in a month's time. I can't do that to her."

"Geez; for an Air Force Colonel, you can be dumb, Jack," Pete said. "Everyone dies some time. She'll hurt whether you're married or not."

The guy had a point but …

"Put it this way, Jack; she makes you happy, and you make her happy. Then there's Tiressa. You're already a family; just without a wedding ring. Why shouldn't you snatch a little bit of happiness while you can?"

"You know, Pete; for a cop, you're not so dumb," Jack said.

* * *

**Two days later:**

Malia was feeling much better. She strolled out to the deck, where Jack sat with a line dangling into the water. "Morning," she said, sitting down next to him and pressing a gentle kiss onto his cheek, breathing in his scent – a combination of toothpaste and his own pheromones. "You need a shave," she added.

"Huh; so the vagrant look doesn't work for me, then?" he said, turning his head to regard her with twinkling brown eyes.

"Not so much," she said. "I suppose some women might find it sexy, but I like your smooth skin much better." She slipped her hand inside his waistband and caressed the warm skin of his lower abdomen. "Like this, for instance."

"Ah." He swallowed hard. "Feeling better, I take it?"

"Much," she purred, fastening her lips to the pulse throbbing just under his ear. He tasted delicious. She understood the biological imperative that drove her right now – this was the time she was most fertile – but told her brain to shut up. _Just enjoy_, she thought as his lips captured hers in an urgent kiss.

"Uh … much as I'm enjoying this, could we do this someplace a little more private?" he said as her other hand slipped inside his waistband and made contact with his rear.

"Mmmmm," she said, removing her hands reluctantly.

He rewound the reel of his fishing line then tugged at her hand. "Let's go," he ordered.

An hour or so later, Malia and Jack lay together, hearts pounding and limbs entwined. "Gods, I love you," she said, stroking his hair-roughened chin.

He nuzzled the bare skin of her shoulder. "I love you too, babe," he said. He propped himself up on one elbow as his dark eyes danced lazily over her body. For many years she'd despised her tall curvy figure, but now she was glad that he found her so sexy. "In fact …" – he leaned over and took a small box out of the bedside drawer – "will you marry me?"

"What?" He flicked open the box to reveal a platinum ring fashioned in a delicate filigree style with a single beautiful emerald in the center. "You're serious?" she said, putting her hand to her mouth. The ring was quite simply the most gorgeous thing she'd ever seen, but marriage?

"Yeah." He looked shy all of a sudden. "I know it's pretty sudden, but I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and Tiressa – if you'll have me."

"Oh." The quiet sincerity in his brown eyes touched her and she took his free hand in hers. "I do love you, Jack, but this is a big step," she said.

"I know," he replied. "Neither of us had much luck in our previous marriages, but we make each other happy. We can't let fear get in the way of that."

He was right. She loved this enigmatic, sarcastic, charismatic Tauri with a passion she wouldn't have believed possible a year ago. "You're right," she said. She pressed a warm kiss to his lips. "I would be proud and honored to marry you, Jack O'Neill," she told him.

"You … would?" His shoulders had tensed, obviously braced for a rejection.

"I would," she mocked gently. "But I want to talk to Tiressa first. I know she loves you as Uncle Jack, but becoming her father is something else entirely. If she's happy with this, then I'll marry you – whenever you want."

* * *

"Ugh. I can't believe how quickly the last couple of weeks have passed," Malia said from her comfortable position within her husband's warm arms. She drew a lazy pattern on his chest with a finger.

He sucked in a deep breath and smoothed a hand over her head. "It's been great, but we knew we'd have to get back to reality some time."

"Yeah." She sighed and abandoned her exploration of his body – it wasn't half as much fun when she was surrounded by people and they were both clothed.

"Seventh chevron; engaged," the Sergeant said from the control room.

The wormhole whooshed out then settled back, the event horizon shimmering invitingly. "Well … guess that's my cue," Jack said. "I'll … uh … I'll miss you." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

She blinked back the tears – not in any kind of hell was she going to cry in front of the SF! "I'll miss you too. Just come back soon or I'll track you down and beat the griss out of you!"

"I love you too, babe," he chuckled and brushed a tender kiss over her lips. "I'd better go – Jacob's waiting for me."

She squeezed his hand. "I do love you, Jack O'Neill," she said. "Just remember that."

He smirked then touched her cheek gently. "I will, Malia O'Neill," he said, then strode up the ramp and into the wormhole.

Then he was gone.

* * *

Jack stepped out of the wormhole cautiously, his senses telling him something wasn't right. Arislet twitched, letting him know that they weren't alone.

He heard the familiar whine of a staff weapon powering up and looked down. Jacob Carter was unconscious and several Jaffa surrounded them. "Ah, crap," he muttered.

"Welcome back to Vorash, Tok'ra," someone said. "I understand you've been searching for me."

Jack looked at the Goa'uld. Black cloak, kinda cliché manner, couldn't see his face. "Probably have," he said. "Which one are you, then?"

The Goa'uld chuckled. "Your insolence amuses me," he said. "Perhaps I will not kill you yet." He turned and barked at the Jaffa. "Jaffa, kree!"

Two Jaffa dragged Jacob onto his feet whilst another two clamped Jack's shoulders. "I will enjoy breaking you, Arislet of the Tok'ra," the Goa'uld said. "Your host is a strong male; it will be a worthy challenge."

"I'm flattered," Jack quipped wryly.

**_Oh, Jack; be quiet, for crying out loud!_**, Arislet said. **_You have no idea who this is, do you?_**

**_Not a one_**, Jack replied. **_Kinda hard to tell with that cloak thing._**

**_That is Anubis_**, Arislet said.

Ah. This was so not good.

* * *

"You try my patience, Tok'ra!" Anubis' First Prime said. He sneered at Jack. "Fortunately, my Lord Anubis is more forbearing than I."

Jack summoned up his strength to glare at the Jaffa. "Anubis ain't no-one's god," he said. "He's an overdressed, clichéd, snaky, slimy …"

A heavy fist in his mouth cut off the flow of words and he detected the metallic taste of blood. "Anubis is a god," the Jaffa said.

"Shel kek nem ron," Jack said, spitting out the blood.

"What?" This gave the big man pause. Probably wasn't used to hearing Jaffa words from a Tok'ra.

"Shel kek nem ron," Jack repeated. He wasn't too sure what the phrase meant, but he'd seen Teal'c persuade more than a few Jaffa to defect with it. "Don't you want your people to be free?"

This time the fist landed with a crunch on his cheekbone. "Shol'va!" the Jaffa spit as Jack blinked, his stomach threatening to evacuate its contents. "Take him away," he told one of his underlings.

* * *

Pain. Ow. Ow, ow, ow. _No … pain good – you're still alive, O'Neill. Open your eyes – good airman. Move the legs._

"A-ah! Shit!" Jack gasped as his legs protested the movement. On the Jack O'Neill scale of pain, this rated a five – he'd had a helluva lot worse. _Suck it up, fly-boy._

**_Try to be still, Jack_**, Arislet said. **_I'm attempting to repair your injuries, but am weak. It will go much easier if you aren't your usual hyperactive self._**

**_Love you too_**, Jack shot back, struggling to sit up then resting his back against the wall of the cell. A certain shuddering on the mothership told him that they'd dropped out of hyperspace and were probably now entering an atmosphere. "Jake?" he said out loud.

"He is very weak," Selmak said, "but I am attempting to repair his injuries. Arislet?"

Jack allowed Arislet to take over. "Jack too is weakened, although he will not admit it," she said. "He's very stubborn."

"Indeed," Selmak said. "That is a trait our hosts share in common."

"Not just our hosts, Selmak," Arislet said with a chuckle. "I've known you a long time, old friend."

Selmak didn't reply. **_Jake!_**, Jack said, alarmed.

Arislet summoned all her strength and leaned over to Jacob. **_He is unconscious_**, she told her host. **_It is the best thing for him; it will allow Selmak to continue her repairs._**

Even before she could voice her next thought, she felt Jack's rejection. **_No way_**, he insisted. **_If I lose consciousness again, snake-boy will think I'm weak. The only reason he's keeping us alive is that we're a curiosity to him._**

Stubborn male. Arislet rolled her host's eyes. **_Are all Tauri as pigheaded as you, or does it come from being in the military?_**, she asked, pleased when Jack chuckled.

**_A bit of both, I suppose_**, Jack responded. **_We can rest when this is over. But, for now, we need to find a way out of this ship._**

* * *

"I won't tell you anything," the stubborn Tok'ra insisted.

Anubis was intrigued by this Tok'ra. He had a strength of will that nearly matched his own, despite the daily beatings and interrogations, and had yet to give Anubis any real information.

For centuries, he had been aware of the Tok'ra, but had given them little thought. They plotted and maneuvered behind the scenes, but caused very little trouble all in all. Things had changed recently – they had become much more aggressive; actively seeking out and destroying several System Lords.

"Perhaps not," he agreed, causing the Tok'ra's dark eyes to flicker over to him. "But I can implant this device directly into your mind. It will link your mind to my computer; all your knowledge will be mine."

Amazingly, the Tok'ra laughed. "Hate to tell you this, Anubis, but I'm not the smartest guy around. There isn't much rattling round in here, unless you happen to be a Simpsons fan."

"Oh, I believe you give yourself far too little credit," Anubis said. "I have learned much about you – your host is a high-ranking soldier. You have a superior tactical ability and are proficient in something you call 'Black Ops'." He leaned over to him. "You deeply regret the deaths of two of your team in a place called East Germany."

The host's hand flew up to his temple and felt the scarring. "Shit," he muttered. "Memory recall device?"

Anubis was pleased. Unlike some of the other System Lords, he respected and appreciated an intelligent adversary – it was much more satisfying to witness their defeat. "You are familiar with them?"

The host grunted. "Oh, yeah," he said. "Hathor's goons used 'em on me a few years ago." He smiled slightly. "I killed her snaky butt – that was a good moment."

With any other host, Anubis would have thought that this statement was simply bravado or a way to annoy. But with this host, he wasn't so sure. He had seen much of the soldier's memories, and knew that this was a man accustomed to killing. There was an inner darkness that was ripe for exploitation. He was worthy of further study.

"You intrigue me, Tauri," he said. The dark eyes didn't flicker, but Anubis noted the subtle tensing of the man's hands. "Yes; I know you are of the Tauri, Jack O'Neill," he added. "I also know how you feel about the Tok'ra. Perhaps you should have a friend worthy of you."

"Hey! If you think you're putting some freakin' Goa'uld in here, think again!" the man said, his eyes widening.

"Interesting," Anubis said. "It appears that I have found a weakness, Tauri."

* * *

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Now Jack really wished he'd listened to Arislet and kept his big mouth shut for once. **_I can't become a fuckin' Goa'uld_**, he told her when they were back in their cell. **_I'll die first._**

**_You must hang on_**, Arislet told him. **_Surely you want to see your wife and daughter again?_**

Wife and daughter. Jack smiled, despite the pain this caused his poorly healed jaw. **_Yeah_**, he admitted, **_but that's not likely to happen. Either I get turned into a snake or he'll kill me. I can't see it going down any other way._** He didn't even pause to consider that him being taken as a host would necessitate Arislet's death.

**_A curse on you, Jack O'Neill – you will not give up!_**, Arislet scolded. **_Promise me that if we fall, at least we make it difficult for him._**

**_You mean, go down fighting?_** Jack sighed. **_Yeah, I can promise you that much_**, he told her.

* * *

**Stargate Command:**

Malia strolled into General Hammond's office. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she inquired, then started as she saw two other people there. Dressed in a similar fashion to Jacob and Jack, she presumed that they were Tok'ra.

"Malia; sit down," the General said gently. "Allow me to present Garshaw and Malek of the Tok'ra."

"Greetings," the female Tok'ra said. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I am here to inform you that Jack O'Neill and Jacob Carter have been captured … by Anubis."

Malia could feel her color drain away. "When?" she whispered, sitting down with a thud.

"We estimate approximately two of your months ago," Malek said now.

"And you've only just come now?" Malia raged. "They could be … anything could've happened by now!"

"We have received intelligence from one of our operatives that they are being held on a planet you know as Langara," Garshaw said.

"Langara … Jonas' planet," she said. She glared at the impassive Tok'ra, then turned to General Hammond. "Permission to 'gate to Langara, sir!" she snapped.

"Denied, Sub-Commandant," Hammond said. "We will send an extraction team, but you will not be on it. You're too close to the situation. I'll send SG-2; Jonas' knowledge of the planet will be invaluable." He stared at the Tok'ra. "I'd like to know why you haven't extracted Jack and Jacob yourselves."

"If we go in, we risk exposing our inside operative," Garshaw said. "It would undo many years of hard work. We had already considered Selmak and Arislet fallen war heroes."

"Well, we're not quite ready to bury them," Hammond replied. "We don't leave people behind." He touched Malia's shaking hands gently. "I'm taking your team and SG-1 off duty for a week – go home. We'll contact you when we have news."

Malia stood up, desperately fighting the need to bury her head in the kindly older man's shoulder and cry her eyes out. "Yes, sir," she said.

She left his office and headed to the women's locker room, her head whirling. Two months. While she'd been 'gating to various planets and having the time of her life, he'd been going through … what? Torture? "Oh, gods …," she muttered, lurching toward the wash basin and shaking as her stomach evacuated.

"Malia?" The door opened and the petite form of Janet Fraiser came in. "I just heard," she said, rubbing a hand on her back. "I'm so sorry, honey."

Malia gulped down some water. "Hammond won't let me on the team," she said. "Instead, I have to wait helplessly." Her stomach lurched again and she retched helplessly until she was dry heaving.

"How long have you been feeling sick?" Janet asked.

"A couple of days," Malia said.

"And have you missed any cycles?"

"Oh, gods … I did miss last month," Malia said, "but I thought it was due to that food poisoning I got on 371."

"It could be, but I'd like to do a pregnancy test just in case," Janet said.

* * *

Pain. Knives. Acid. Taser. Zat. Pain. Even with Arislet helping him, Jack knew that he was getting weaker. "You seem determined to make this difficult for yourself, Tauri," Anubis taunted.

Jack managed a shrug. "Well, I can only die once," he said.

Anubis chuckled, and Jack's skin crawled. "Have you heard of a sarcophagus, O'Neill?"

Crap. He remembered when Daniel had become addicted to one when he'd met that princess … Shyla. It had turned the normally gentle archeologist into a power-mad angry dictator. "Yeah," he admitted. "You got one, don't you?"

"Yes. So, I can kill you and revive you. As many times as I need. Eventually … you will tell me what I need to know so that you can die for the final time."

"Fuck you, snake-head," Jack spat. The First Prime delivered a crashing blow to his back with the staff and Jack collapsed. "And fuck you too, chuckles," he grunted.

"Jaffa!" Anubis barked, holding up his hand. "There may be some advantage to not killing this one," he declared. "He has spirit."

The Jaffa bowed his head obsequiously. "As you wish, My Lord," he said, glaring at Jack before stepping back a couple paces.

* * *

**Stargate Command:**

"Close the iris!" Major Griff shouted, leaping onto the ramp.

As the iris slammed closed, Malia dashed into the embarkation room. "Michael?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Malia," he said. "Bum intel – we barely got our asses out alive."

"I got something else, Major," Jonas Quinn – the Langaran member of SG-2 – said. He held out a small spherical device.

"What the hell …?" Griff muttered.

"It's a Goa'uld communication device," Malia said. "Then they were on the planet at some point?" Her stomach lurched, but she was determined that she wasn't going to be sick again. She'd already vomited twice that morning – this pregnancy was proving difficult, due to the stress of Jack being missing and the slight differences in their physiology. "Can we use this to track Anubis?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have that capability yet," Griff said. "We're not as far ahead as you and the Goa'uld."

Malia didn't understand her world's technology either – she was no scientist. "I'll see if I can contact Belrina," she said. "We haven't had much to do with the Goa'uld, but our scientists might be able to do something with this." She aimed a shadow of a smile at Jonas. "Thank you for this," she said.

"You're welcome," Jonas said, giving her a friendly smile; he reminded her somewhat of a puppy, the way he went headlong at everything. "I just wish we could have found them."

"Me too, Jonas," she murmured. She headed back out of the embarkation room, putting her hand on her still-flat stomach. "Where are you, Jack?" she whispered. "We need you."

* * *

Jack opened his eyes to a glaring light. Fuck. How many times had he been killed now? He lurched out of the sarcophagus as Anubis' First Prime stalked over to him. "Get the fuck away from me, you bastard!" he said.

"Jack …," the Jaffa said, extending a hand toward him.

"I mean it; I'll nail your head to that fucking table and set fire to it!"

"Jack …," the First Prime said.

Jack swung a fist into the other man's jaw. "You … don't … fuckin' … call me Jack, you son of a bitch!" he shouted. "Where's Jacob – what did you do to him?"

"We must sedate him again," a new voice said.

Jack whirled around and snatched the Jaffa's staff, pointing it at his captors. "Now … tell me where the hell Jacob is. Then you're letting us go. Otherwise, your 'lord' is about to buy it."

"Colonel O'Neill! Up and at 'em, Airman!" the newcomer barked.

Jack automatically came to parade attention. "Sir!" he snapped then felt something prick his skin. "You fuckers," he muttered, feeling himself slide toward oblivion once more.

* * *

Jacob Carter exchanged worried glances with his fellow Tok'ra. "Can we do anything for him?" he said.

"He has been through the sarcophagus many times," Anise said. "You got his body back; his mind may be lost to us. Had Arislet not been killed, it would be a different matter."

"Yeah." Jacob swept a hand through his sadly thinning hair. It had been over a month since Anise and Kelmaa had rescued them from Anubis' mothership. Jack had remained unconscious for the first two weeks, but every day since he'd regained consciousness that first time had proceeded the same. The younger man firmly believed that he'd been killed again and that he was still on the mothership.

Jacob had seen the man at some low points – when they had been tortured on Netu years ago – but had never seen him like this. He'd never thought anything could break the stubborn, infuriating, cocky Colonel.

"We can't keep sedating him, Jacob," Freya – Anise's host – now said. "Perhaps if we slowly reduce the dosage … We certainly can't risk restraining him again."

No. Jacob still sported a beautiful shiner from when they'd attempted to restrain Jack. He'd panicked completely, snapping free of the restraints and beating anything that stood in his path. Jacob Carter – former two star General – had investigated Jack shortly after meeting him in DC, and had learned that he'd been held prisoner for four months in Iraq. Was that what had driven him, or was it something else? There'd been significant gaps in Jack's file, some so highly classified that they were for the CIC's eyes only – that screamed 'Black Ops' to Jacob.

Jack's eyelids flickered open. "I'm not tellin' you anythin', you bastards," he said hoarsely. "You may as well give it up and kill me – I'll die before I say anything."

"Nah," Jacob said. "You're too annoying to die."

The younger man – his face pale and his frame gaunt after the months of torture he'd suffered – looked over at him. "Jacob?" he whispered. "But … you're dead. I saw that bastard snake take you down."

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," Jacob said. "We need to get you to the infirmary."

Jack backed away into a corner, hugging his arms around himself protectively. "No!" he said, his eyes becoming wild. "Another fucking snake-head trick!" He grabbed suddenly at Anise and tightened his arm around her neck. "Get the fuck away from me, or I'll kill her!" Then his eyes glazed over as the sedative took full effect. "Bastards …," he mumbled.

"What about the Asgard?" Anise said hoarsely, rubbing at her neck. "They are very fond of Jack – would they not help him?"

"Yeah, maybe," Jacob said, "but we've got now way of contacting them. Maybe George can help us there." He closed his eyes and let Selmak take control. "Kelmaa, Malek; please take care of Jack," she said then headed to the peltak to talk to General Hammond.

* * *

**Stargate Command:**

"I understand, Jacob," Genral Hammond said. "I'll do what I can, but the Asgard haven't been very reliable lately."

"Yeah; thanks George," the ex-General replied. "I'd better go; this isn't exactly a secure system. We'll head for Vorash, then 'gate to Earth. We should be there in a couple days."

"See you then, Jacob," Hammond said. He sighed as the communication fizzed out then looked at Sergeant Harriman. "Get Sub-Commandant Malia up here," he added.

"Yes, sir," the Sergeant replied.

Five minutes later, Jack's wife appeared with a speed that belied that she was actually five months pregnant. Her height ensured that she could carry a little extra weight easily, and no-one would know it just to look at her. She still traveled off world, but only 'gated to known friendlies now. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she inquired, her face paling.

"I've just heard from Jacob Carter," he said. "They were rescued about a month ago …"

"Oh, thank gods," Malia muttered. "When is he coming home?"

"Malia." He put a gentle hand to her shoulder. "They got his body back, but his mind … Jacob says that Arislet was killed shortly before the rescue. Jack still thinks he's a prisoner."

"He needs to come home," Malia said, gripping at his shirt. "Please, General … If we can't help him, maybe the Asgard can. He …" – she blinked back tears – "He once said Thor loved him."

"They'll be here in a couple of days, Malia," Hammond said, "but you'll have to be prepared for the fact that Jack won't recognize you. He'll likely be violent."

"I … I understand, General. Just bring him home."

"We will, Malia. We will."

One way or another, Jack O'Neill would come home.


	4. Part 4

**Part Four**

Colonel Jack O'Neill (ret.) cracked open an eye, wincing as a bright light shone in it. Fuck. That no-good snaky bastard had gotten him again. He squinted in a cyclopean fashion as a small woman entered the chamber. Hmmm, she was new. Pretty and little – he could break her easily, even in his current crappy condition.

"Welcome back, sir," she said in a soft accent. "How are you feeling?"

He glared at her. "What the fuck do you care?" He massaged tiredly at his forehead.

Her eyes widened. "Ah." She turned to one of the Jaffa. "Turn that damn light down," she ordered. No snaky voice, but she was evidently someone to be reckoned with by the way the Jaffa jumped to it. "Is that better, sir?"

_Sir?_ "So …," he croaked, "where's your master?"

She smiled slightly – a rather attractive smile. "I don't have a master, sir," she said. _Again with the sir business._ "Let me try this again," she added. "You are John J. O'Neill, known as Jack. You were a member of SG-1 for several years, then resigned to travel off world …"

"Fuck off – I know all that!" Jack snapped. "I'm not some fuckin' head-case, no matter what you and your snakes do to me!"

She steam-rollered right over him. "My name is Janet Fraiser; I'm a doctor. You're not on Anubis' ship – you are in fact in the infirmary at the SGC."

"Stop playing these fucking games, you bitch!" he shouted. "You killed Arislet and Jacob; just kill me and have done with it – I'm not telling you anything!"

She sighed. "I'll come back later, sir," she said – damn, she sounded freakily like his favorite Napoleonic power-monger!

"Whatever," he said, closing his eyes once more.

* * *

Malia flinched as Jack kicked out at the IV stand, sending it crashing. "Oh, gods …," she muttered, tears springing to her eyes. What under the sun had happened to him on Anubis' ship?

"Malia." Daniel put a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon; you need sleep."

She jerked back to the window that looked down into the iso-room. "I'm staying here," she insisted.

He regarded her in a boyish earnest fashion that belied his true age – somewhere in his late 30s, Malia believed. "Please … you need to take care of yourself and the baby," he said. "I'll sit here for a few hours."

"And then I'll relieve him," Samantha said.

"I will proceed to keep watch after Major Carter," Teal'c said. He dipped his head to her. "You are not alone in this, Malia – we will guard over O'Neill while you guard over your new life."

The tears sprang to her eyes again – at nearly six months pregnant, she was crying over everything lately. "Oh, gods … you … I … ". Her mouth worked soundlessly, the tears raining down her cheeks.

"Malia; I will escort you to your quarters," Teal'c said now.

"All right," she replied. She pressed her hand to the glass. "I won't be long, Jack," she murmured. "I love you – never forget that."

* * *

Jack woke up once more, relieved to find no-one around. A little bit of peace before he died – he could live with that. No freakin' sarcophagus this time, either – cool. Maybe Anubis was getting sick of fucking around with his head.

A large Jaffa walked in. _Ah, shit – here we go again!_ This guy … this guy was built like a freakin' brick shit house, but he didn't seem as bad tempered as the First Prime. "What the fuck d'you want?" Jack demanded rudely.

"I am pleased to see you too, O'Neill," the Jaffa responded smoothly.

Okaaaay – that was weird. Since when did you get sarcasm from a Jaffa? Jack watched warily as the huge Jaffa got nearer to him. Teal'c? Nah … Oh, fuck, Anubis had turned him! Only one way to find out. "Anubis is a false god," he said. Either this would be good-guy T and he'd live, or it'd be bad-guy T and he'd die. Nice and simple.

The Jaffa dipped his head. "Indeed, O'Neill," he agreed. "Between us, we have killed many false gods."

"T?" Jack croaked. "When did that SOB get you? What about Carter and Daniel?"

"We have not been captured, O'Neill," Teal'c said quietly. "Anubis captured you and Jacob Carter several months ago. You were killed many times and revived using that orak device – you are now suffering from withdrawal."

"Fuck off," Jack said. "I was there when Daniel when through his withdrawal; I know what it's like." His fists clenched. "You can tell your master he can come out now; I'm fucked if I'm talking to his stooges any more."

Anubis appeared suddenly. "How is he doing?" he asked.

"I regret to inform you that there is no change," the Jaffa posing as Teal'c said.

"Damn right there's no change!" Jack said, reveling in this minor triumph. "How's it feel to know there's one Tauri you can't fuck around with?"

* * *

"How's he doing, son?" General Hammond asked.

The big Jaffa bowed his head, unable to hide the grief from his usually stoic features. "He is getting well in body, but I fear that his mind has gone out of reach."

Hammond sighed and turned away from the pitiful sight before him. Jack O'Neill was many things – stubborn, surly, sulky, impetuous, irreverent, a damn pain in the ass – but he'd never seen him so broken before. "Major; have we had any success in contacting the Asgard?" he said. The diminutive aliens had technology way in advance of their own – maybe they could help pull together Jack's shattered psyche.

The blonde Major smiled for the first time in days. "Yes, sir," she said. "We managed to get in touch with Thor. He'll be here within the hour."

A white light flashed and everyone started. "Or even sooner, sir," she added lamely.

"Greetings, General Hammond," Thor said evenly. "Where is O'Neill?"

"Down there," Hammond said.

"I will transport him up to the Valhalla," Thor said. "That is our finest medical ship – if anyone can help him, they can. But first … please tell me what transpired."

"We don't know all the details, Thor," Doctor Fraiser said now, "but we know he was tortured, killed and revived using a sarcophagus many times. Also; the symbiote he carried died inside him."

"O'Neill carried a symbiote?" Thor tilted his head, blinking his large black eyes. "Intriguing, but not pertinent to his condition. With your permission, General?"

"Of course, but please take Doctor Fraiser with you."

"Naturally. Doctor?"

Thor pressed his transport device, and he, Fraiser and Jack disappeared in the typical flash of white light. "Godspeed, son," Hammond said quietly.

* * *

Jack O'Neill opened his eyes, squinting away from … "Oy!" he muttered, batting away at the annoying penlight. "Doc!" he complained.

Fraiser smiled at him. "Welcome back, sir," she said quietly. "You had us pretty worried for a few days."

"Anubis!" Jack blurted out. "How did I … did Jake manage …?"

"Easy, sir," Fraiser soothed. "Jacob and Selmak both survived and went back to Vorash. It's over six weeks since you were retrieved from Anubis' mothership."

"Fuck," he muttered. "I … don't remember a thing."

"You will, O'Neill, when you are ready," someone else said.

Jack squinted over at the newcomer. "Thor! Buddy!" he said. "Kudos on the rescue, by the way."

"I cannot take the credit for your retrieval, O'Neill," Thor said. "Two Tok'ra named Kelmaa and Anise were able to smuggle you onto their teltak. For many weeks, you suffered through sarcophagus withdrawal, believing yourself to still be a prisoner."

"Is that … why I don't remember?"

"Indeed," Thor said. "The memories will come back gradually. But, for now, you must concentrate on your physical recovery. And your wife and child will be anxious to see you once more."

"Malia! God; is she okay? We were only married a couple weeks before that snaky SOB grabbed me!"

"She is well, O'Neill, but has been very worried about you."

"Thor, buddy; I'm grateful for what you little gray guys have done, but I have to see her."

"Understandable. You are not physically fit yet, so with your permission I will transport her up here."

"Yeah." Jack suddenly felt exhausted, and sat back with a flop on the bed.

A white flash heralded his wife's arrival. She looked … beautiful, but tired and sad. "Jack?" she said, putting her hands up to her mouth.

"Hey, baby," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for … all this."

"Oh, gods … Jack!" She lurched over to the bed and hugged him tightly. "I thought … I'd lost you!"

"No chance," he said, giving her a faint grin. "I'm too ornery to die."

She gave him a gentle punch in the arm. "I swear to you, Jack O'Neill, if you ever do this to me again, I'll kill you myself!"

He felt tears spring to his own eyes as she wept into his shoulder. "God, I'm sorry, baby," he muttered, putting his arms around her waist. Except … where had her waist gone?

"Jack … you have a special reason to stay around," she said with a sniffle. She grabbed his hand and rested it on her stomach.

He felt a gentle movement and his eyes widened. "Baby?" he asked. "You're pregnant?"

She nodded against his shoulder. "Yeah," she said. "Six months into term." She lifted her head from his shoulder and peered at him with swimming eyes. "I … know this is a lot to deal with, so we'll take as long as you need." She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Jack – I promise you'll get through this."

* * *

**One week later:**

"Doc!"

Janet Fraiser sighed and went to the bed that she'd designated as belonging to SG-1 – being one of the first contact units, they tended to accumulate the most injuries. "Sir; you're not ready to get out of bed yet," she said. "You fell flat on your face yesterday," she reminded him unkindly.

She knew it was a good sign that he was well enough to torment her, but sometimes she wished he could be quieter. She put a gentle hand to his rib cage. Although Thor had healed all the physical injuries, his muscles had atrophied through lack of use. "Please … try to be patient," she said, knowing that was a futile request.

"Geez, Doc; I'm bored!" he whined – could a full-bird Colonel pushing 50 whine? "And the decoration in here sucks!"

"If you have a wheelchair, Doctor Fraiser, I will be pleased to take O'Neill off your hands for a time," Teal'c said.

Bless the man. "Of course," Fraiser said, trying not to sound too eager. She watched anxiously as the big man lifted Jack's lanky frame gently from the bed, still surprised after nearly eight years at the inherent gentleness of the large alien. Between them, they settled Jack into the chair. "Have him back within an hour, though, Teal'c – I need to run some more tests."

"Hoo, boy – more fun than a barrel of monkeys," the Colonel said sarcastically as Teal'c wheeled him out of the infirmary.

* * *

"Hey, Carter; whatcha doin'?"

God! Even in a wheelchair and toted round by a six-four wall of muscle, the Colonel still knew how to sneak up on a body! Sam Carter patted her heart and turned round to see said Colonel smile sunnily at her. "Do you really want to know, sir?" she asked.

He chuckled and picked up a Tollan transmitter, turning it over in his hands. "Probably not," he admitted. "But T's managed to spring me for a bit, so I thought I'd come bother you."

She closed her eyes briefly then took the transmitter out of his hands. He had incredibly twitchy fingers – always had to be in everything. In some ways, he was like an overgrown child. "Sir, is Malia not around?" In other words; _please go bother someone else before I beat up a guy in a wheelchair._

"Cimmeria," the Colonel replied. "She's making the most of the next few weeks before she's benched." He smiled. "Having my baby," he said. "So …," he added, tapping at another device, "what's this device do?"

"No idea yet, sir," Sam said. "SG-2 brought it back from their last mission. It looks like the Asgard tech, but the writing …". She showed it to him.

"Looks familiar," he said.

"It should, sir; you spoke it for a while," she replied. "According to Daniel, it's Ancient."

"Ancient tech?" He shuddered dramatically. "Bit small for one of those dang head suckers, but be careful. Could be their version of a floppy disk."

Sam was intrigued – sometimes the Colonel had a way of cutting right through the crap. "You could be right, sir," she said. "It may be a portable database; maybe designed to …"

"A-ah!" He cut her off with an upraised forefinger. "Let's just leave it at 'you could be right'." He smiled sweetly at her. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He tapped idly at the device and a blue light shot out. "Fuck!" he swore, dropping the device with a clatter.

"Sir?" she said. "Are you hurt?"

He swung out suddenly, hitting her hard in the cheek. "Get the fuck away from me!" he shouted. "I won't tell you anything!"

"Sir!" She blinked aside the sudden wave of dizziness and attempted to catch the distraught man's arms. "Sir; you'll hurt yourself!"

He paid no attention, shouting loudly in what sounded like some Middle East dialect – maybe Farsi, Daniel would know, she thought irrelevantly. "Fucking bastard snake-heads!" he said in clear English this time. "Kill me, stick me in that fucking tomb, start all over again!"

"Teal'c," Sam said, "get Janet."

* * *

"You are married to Colonel O'Neill?" Gairwyn said with a smile. "I'm pleased to hear he's mated, but I would have thought only a saint could cope with him."

Malia chuckled. "Considering you only met him once, you seem to understand him pretty well," she said.

"He's a good man, but stubborn and exasperating," Gairwyn said. "Please extend my regards to him upon your return."

"I will," Malia said, shifting slightly as the baby kicked. Janet had given her permission to stay with him in the infirmary as long as they didn't attempt anything physical. Jack was still recovering both physically and emotionally from his long ordeal. "It was a pleasure to meet you Gairwyn," she said. "I'll try to come back after the baby's born."

"I would like that, Malia," Gairwyn said. "And maybe one day I will come to see Midgard."

Remia finished dialing Earth and the wormhole gushed out. "Let's go home," Malia said. She stepped through the wormhole and emerged on the familiar metal ramp leading to the Tauri 'gate.

"Welcome back," General Hammond said. "Good mission, Sub-Commandant?"

"Nice people, sir," Malia said. "Permission to debrief you after I've debriefed myself for a nice hot shower!"

"Permission granted, Malia," Hammond said. "In fact, I insist on it."

Malia wrinkled her nose. "Bad?" She'd been surrounded most of the day by horses and was fairly certain that she'd stood in something … unpleasant.

"I … wasn't going to say anything, Sub-Commandant," Remia said in an innocent tone.

"Huh," Malia grunted.

"Debriefing in half an hour, Sub-Commandant," Hammond told her.

"Yes, sir." She handed her P90 to an SF and swung out of the 'gate room, moving a little more slowly than she'd done only a month ago. She made her way to the women's locker room, massaging her aching back as she did so.

As she stood in the shower, the hot water beating down on her, she mulled over this mission. She hadn't really wanted to go – had wanted to spend the time with Jack – but Jack had insisted he was fine. She didn't believe him, knew he would never completely recover from what had happened to him, but she realized he wouldn't respond well to being coddled.

Feeling human once more, she got out of the shower and toweled herself off quickly before changing into blue BDUs. They were nearly as ugly as the green ones, but damn they were comfortable.

She looked at her watch. Ten minutes till the briefing – she wouldn't have time to get to the infirmary and see Jack. _Damn._ Well, she would see him later that night.

* * *

Jack jerked awake. "Hey, kids," he croaked, wondering why they were crowded round his bed. He whistled. "Nice bruise, Carter," he said. "Someone caught you a good one there, huh?"

She smiled. "Yes, sir," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Head hurts – a bit," he grumbled. "Doc … no penlight!" he warned as the petite doctor made her way over to him.

"No, sir," she agreed readily. "How bad is that headache?"

"A two," he said. "I can live with it."

"Hmm … that would be a six on anyone else's scale," she said. "I don't want to medicate you for it, but try to rest."

Jack closed his eyes with a scowl. "For cryin' out loud; I just woke up," he complained. Images flitted into his brain. Him touching that weird Ancient doohickey, that blue light … "Shit." He opened his eyes and shot up, ignoring the screaming pain from his head. "Carter …"

"I know you didn't mean it, sir," she said. She gave him a smile. "I'd forgotten how good your reflexes are."

Shit. Fuck. Jack was well acquainted with the symptoms of PTSD and he knew flashback country when he saw it. Hell, he was still dealing with the crap left over from Iraq.

"Malia's coming down to see you tonight," Fraiser said. "You should get some rest – you don't want to worry her."

"I can't see her!" Jack jerked out. "What if I lose it again? Her and those kids are the three best things that have happened to me in a long time. I don't want to hurt her!"

"Sir … you can't push her away," Carter said, her blue eyes wide with sympathy – but not pity, he was glad to note. "She loves you, and she's a lot stronger than you give her credit for."

"Yeah, Jack," Daniel said quietly. "Don't make the same mistake you made before."

He didn't need to say anything more. After Charlie's death, Jack had shut Sara out until she'd finally left him with divorce papers. He'd stayed shut down for a long time – until an archeologist, an astrophysicist and an alien had somehow wormed their way past his defenses and coaxed his rusty emotions back to life. "Yeah," he admitted in defeat. "But, T … you'd better stick around. You're the only one who'll be able to stop me if I go nuts."

The Jaffa dipped his head. "Of course, Jack," he said. "You have my word."

* * *

Malia walked into the infirmary and headed over to where Jack was lying, scowling through a magazine. "Hi," she said, brushing a gentle kiss onto his cheek.

He threw down the magazine. "Hey, baby," he said. "And how are all the good folks on Cimmeria?"

"Fine," Malia said. "Gairwyn sends her regards." She nodded over to where Teal'c sat, cross-legged, meditating. "Is there a reason Teal'c's here instead of tucked up in bed?" she asked.

"I asked him to be here," Jack said in low tones. "I … had a flashback earlier and popped Carter one. I'm not risking it happening with you."

Shadows appeared in his brown eyes, and she wondered if he was comparing himself with her first husband. "I understand, Jack," she said, giving him another soft kiss. Good gods; the fact that he was worried about hurting her showed how different he was to Kitan! She nudged his hip with her own. "Are you going to make room for a fat pregnant lady?" she asked.

Jack looked at her carefully, then scooched over. "My bed is yours, milady," he said as she lay down next to him. "So …," he said, "tell me about your next mission. Coupla days, right?"

She could accept that he wasn't ready to talk. For now. "Right," she said. "We're going to visit the Nox homeworld – they've expressed curiosity about humans since the Asgard think so highly of you."

Jack smiled fondly. "Nice people. Look kinda like fairy-folk, but really nice people." He yawned. "It's been a long day, baby," he said, putting a gentle hand to her distended abdomen. "Let's go to sleep, huh?"

* * *

Malia jerked awake as Jack began thrashing in his sleep. In a smooth move she hadn't realized she was still capable of making, she rolled off the bed, knowing better than to wake him before he was ready. He was muttering in a strange language, possibly one of the Earth tongues, and from the scowl on his face, it was clear that the words were not polite. "Rank, Captain; serial number, USAF-4501-62B," he said, flinching.

He gave a sudden yell, then jerked awake, his breath coming in loud spurts. "Fuck …," he groaned.

"Jack," Malia said, touching his sweat-dampened forehead tentatively.

"Shit; that was a bad one," he said, shivering.

"Oh, gods; you're freezing," she said. She got back on the bed and wrapped her arms around him in what he called a 'bear hug'. "Sssshhh, you're okay now," she said, rocking gently.

"Malia; is everything all right?" Teal'c loomed up from his corner.

She smiled. "It's fine, Teal'c," she said, pleased that Jack had such a good friend.

"Then I will leave you in peace," Teal'c said, returning to his corner and resuming his cross-legged position.

"Did I … hurt you?" Jack asked in low tones, the shivering dying down a little.

"No," Malia said, brushing a gentle kiss onto his cheek. "You really think Teal'c would have let you, even if you'd tried?"

He gave a subdued chuckle. "Guess not," he agreed. He put a hand to her cheek in a tender gesture. "You deserve better than this, Malia," he said.

"What? Better than a sarcastic, grumpy, extremely sexy ex-Colonel who lets me ravish him on a regular basis?" Malia said sweetly, rewarded by a deeper chuckle.

"No funny ideas, Sub-Commandant," he said. "Besides, neither of us are really fit for action," he pointed out.

"A lot you know about pregnant women, Jack O'Neill," she teased him. "If you weren't stuck in this infirmary, I'd be all over you like the Ralvarian snilfpox right now!"

* * *

**Two weeks later:**

"Okay, Colonel; you're finally out of here," Janet Fraiser said, not even bothering to hide her relief. She handed him a pair of crutches. "Just promise to use these when you get tired – whether you'll admit it or not, your body's gone through an incredible amount of punishment."

"Fine, Doc; can I leave now?" Jack grumbled. "I've got a date with two beautiful women to keep, and I ain't doing it lookin' like this!" He waved a hand at his faded tee shirt and grungy jeans.

It was a less than professional thing to think, but Fraiser thought he actually looked pretty good in those jeans. They weren't spray painted on, but they showed his newly fit body off rather well. She coughed to hide the mild embarrassment – she was a doctor, but she was only human! – and patted his shoulder. "Off you go, sir," she said, "but call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, yeah!" He aimed a flippant salute at her. "See ya, Doc," he said and swung out of the Infirmary.

"Colonel …," she called in a warning tone.

He turned back and grabbed the crutches. "Worth a go," he offered with a lame grin.

* * *

"Wow, sir; you scrub up pretty good!" Carter teased as she emerged from her lab.

Jack threw her a hurt look, trying not to notice the livid bruise on her pale skin. Turns out he'd actually fractured her cheekbone when he'd popped her a couple weeks earlier. "You sound surprised, Carter," he returned in a similar light tone. "This old warhorse has a few miles left in him, ya know!"

Carter chuckled. "Well, give my love to Malia and Tiressa, sir," she said.

"Carter; you planning on goin' home sometime this week?" he asked.

"I'm trying to calculate the decay rate of this new batch of naquadria we found on Langara, sir," she said, her eyes glowing with enthusiasm.

"A-ah!" He waved a hand to cut off the techno-babble before it started. "I know I'm not your CO any more, but go home Carter; before Pete forgets what you look like!"

She threw him a cheeky salute. "Yes, sir!" she said.

He folded his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Switch off that damn reactor, close this lab and haul ass out of this mountain, Carter. I ordered you years ago to get a life; consider this a reminder!"

"And if you won't listen to your former CO, perhaps you'll listen to your current one!" Colonel Coburn chimed in. "Hey, Jack. Say hello to Malia, huh?"

Jack looked at the younger man narrowly. He suspected that Coburn had something of a crush on Malia, although he knew better than to make a move on her. Malia was a trained soldier and had tested out at Level 3 in hand to hand when she'd transferred to the SGC – she could drop-kick most guys easily. "I'll do that," he said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Where the hell's Daniel? He said he'd drive me home!" he complained.

"I'm here," Daniel said, emerging from a nearby lab, looking a little … rumpled.

Jack raised his eyebrows, then chuckled as Remia emerged, looking equally disheveled. "I'm not interrupting you kids, am I?" he asked evilly.

"Uhh, no!" Daniel said, going red. "I'll be back soon, Remia," he said. "Just got a grumpy old Colonel to get rid of." Payback for the 'kids' comment, no doubt.

* * *

Jack found himself inexplicably nervous as he made his way into the little apartment the Air Force had arranged for Malia and Tiressa. _Geez; this is your wife, for cryin' out loud!_, he chided himself. _Get a grip, Airman!_

He opened the door and strolled in. "Honey; I'm home!" he called loudly, trying hard to bury his unease.

Tiressa came barreling out of the living room and threw her arms around his waist. "Daddy!" she squealed joyfully. "You're home!"

He blinked back a tear at the word 'Daddy', then picked her up carefully, pleased that his abused body didn't twinge, and gave her a big hug. "Hey, munchkin," he said, planting a kiss on her plump cheek. "Where's your mom?"

"Kitchen," she said, returning the kiss. "Go see her – I wanna show you something Uncle Daniel gave me!"

He put her down and she sped off to her bedroom. He went into the kitchen. "Hi," he said, feeling absurdly shy.

"Hi," she said, blowing a curl out of her eye, then she came over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Welcome home, Airman," she said, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

His lips opened in response to the gentle caress, and they melted into each other. It had been so long since they'd been together, but they fit together just as well as ever. "I missed this," he said as they broke apart.

"Good," she said. She took his hand and rested it on her swollen stomach. "Baby O'Neill; meet your dad," she said.

His eyebrow rose. "Boy or girl?" he asked.

"I still don't know," she replied. "I don't want to know."

His eyes widened as the little life kicked out against his palm. "Geez; that's one strong little bugger!" he said with his first real grin of the day. "So … whatcha making us?" he added, his nose twitching as he smelled steak. Big. Red. Juicy. Meat. Serious protein cravings.

She went back over to the oven and showed the two giant steaks and a smaller one grilling slowly. "I'm having strong protein cravings lately," she said. "And I know how much you like your steaks."

He put a hand on the counter as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Damn. He'd gone four days in a row without a dizzy spell; he'd forgotten how disorienting they could be. Tiressa danced into the kitchen before Malia noticed his heavy breath. "It's an imagizer!" she said. "He calls it a camera. And look – when you press this red button …"

A light flashed in front of his eyes, and he blinked as a dizzying array of images flashed into his reluctant brain. The Iraqi General … Anubis … Jaffa … Arislet … dying … that Iraqi girl he'd rescued from rape only to learn that she was part of the trap …

"Jack?" Malia touched his clenched fist. "Are you all right?" she asked.

He breathed out deeply, relieved that he hadn't allowed the memories to suck him in once more. "Yeah," he said. "Just hungry."

She gave him an openly skeptical look, but chose not to pursue it in front of Tiressa. Saved by the munchkin!


	5. Part 5

**Part Five**

Jack O'Neill jerked awake from another nightmare – his second that night – and drew in a deep breath, fighting the urge to break heads. _Shit … Kawalsky_, he mourned silently. Charlie Kawalsky had died nearly eight years ago when he'd been infested by a Goa'uld; Jack thought he'd come to terms with it by now.

He propped himself up on an elbow and watched Malia shift slightly in her sleep, the swell of her stomach clearly visible in the moonlight. A frown pulled at his eyebrows. He was married to a beautiful woman who was having his baby. He should have been the happiest man in the world … hell, the galaxy.

But the Goa'uld had changed that. They infiltrated his dreams, his thoughts, his every waking moment. Like the snaky parasites they were. Anubis had tapped his worst memories, making him relive them over and over – like some kind of sick slide show.

Sometimes, he could hide it, control it. He'd learned to mask his reaction to flashing lights, the aching loss he felt for the Tok'ra Arislet, the fear that the next time he awoke it would be in a sarcophagus.

'Stare too long into the abyss, and the abyss stares back.'

He wasn't too sure who'd said that – maybe Neitszche – but whoever said it knew what they were talking about. Jack O'Neill had stared into the abyss many times – his Black Ops days, Iraq, those terrible months after Charlie – and now that swirling mire of darkness called to him once more.

"Jack?" Malia mumbled sleepily, putting a hand to his face.

"Hey," he said, pressing a gentle kiss to her palm. "Sorry if I woke you."

"It's okay," she said. She sat up. "Ugh … need to pee," she complained, getting up and heading for the bathroom.

He watched her move gracefully – at five ten, she was tall enough to cope with her pregnancy and therefore didn't waddle – feeling a smile pull at his lips. It was times like this when he was glad he was a guy.

She came back with two glasses of water and handed one to Jack. "Figured you could use that," she said.

"Yeah." He rested the glass to his forehead, feeling the cold of the condensation against his skin. She seemed to know exactly what to do when the darkness came over him. She never attempted to get him to talk about it; just gave him acceptance and a sweet quiet love. She'd had her own problems with her previous husband that she wasn't ready to talk about; that probably explained her empathy with him.

He sipped the cold water, feeling it go down his parched throat. "Thanks, Malia; you're the best," he said.

She sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "The little one's performing acrobatics again," she said with a yawn.

He put a gentle hand to her stomach, feeling the little life tumble around. "Wow; can that little bugger not tell time yet?" he teased.

She chuckled into his neck. "Evidently not," she replied around another yawn. She put her hand to his chest. "Try to get some sleep, Jack," she said.

"I will," he lied. Christ; except for the times he'd been sedated, he hadn't slept properly for months. He put a hand to her cheek, enjoying the soft smooth skin. "I love you, baby," he said.

"Love you too," she mumbled.

* * *

Malia watched Jack as he slept, twitching his way through another nightmare. Sometimes, during the day, she could fool herself that he was beginning to heal. She spent as much time with him as she could, just doing the things other couples did. Taking walks in the park, shopping, fixing up the apartment, helping Tiressa with her homework.

Then the nightmares would come. He would awake terrified and disoriented, often spitting out curses in a strange tongue. Yet it was the silent nightmares that scared her the most – the ones he couldn't even release through incoherent yells.

She knew better than to touch him when his demons attacked; all she could do was watch and wait for the dreams to end, then offer what little comfort she could. He wouldn't – or couldn't – talk about what he'd gone through with Anubis.

And it was taking a physical toll on him also. Never a big man; he'd always been lean and toned. But she could see the weight loss by the skinny ribs and the slump to his once proud carriage. A tear leaked out and she sniffled. Oh, gods … she loved this man so!

Even battered as he now was, there was enough left of the Jack O'Neill character to prove that he wasn't entirely broken. Just yesterday, Daniel, Teal'c and Samantha had visited, and he'd spent a full hour engaging in verbal warfare with Daniel; much to everyone else's amusement.

And yet … and yet … The shadows had become a permanent fixture in his brown eyes, and when he smiled there was little real joy there. Tenderness certainly – she didn't doubt his love for her – but his love of life had died sometime during his captivity.

He woke up, breathing deeply. "Shit …," he muttered. He frowned as he saw her watching him. "Baby; you need sleep," he said gently. He brushed a sweet kiss across her lips. "Please, try?" he asked.

Another tear made its way down her face. "I'll try," she said. "But you need to sleep, too." She took his hand and rested it on her stomach. "We need you."

"Love you," he murmured.

She smiled into his beloved face. She had always scoffed at the idea of 'soul mates', but now she knew that she'd found the other half of her heart. "Love you too," she said.

Two as one. Battered, not broken. It would take time, but they would be all right. Two as one.

* * *

**Not exactly a happy ending, but one full of hope.**


End file.
